Question : Inventory of Trees

(a) whether the Government has any proposal to conduct tree census in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Forest Survey of India (FSI) conduct regular inventory of trees in forests and outside forests in the country and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the reports of the FSI has shown any decline in the number of trees gradually;
(d) if so, the details thereof, State-wise; and
(e) the steps taken to plant more trees in the country in coordination with the State Governments?

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)




(a) There is no plan to conduct tree census in the country.

(b) Forest Survey of India (FSI) conducts regular inventory of forest and trees outside forests under its National Forest Inventory Programme. The Inventory is conducted by selecting 60 districts randomly on a cycle of two years. On the basis of data collected from these 60 districts, growing stock estimates are generated at National and State levels and the results are published in “India State of Forest Report (ISFR)” on biennial basis. The information as per ISFR 2011, ISFR 2013 and 2015 is given in Annexure.

(c) & (d) The number of trees are increasing marginally inside as well as outside the forest areas. As per ISFR 2015, there is an increase of about 3.3 percent in forests and 6.7 percent in trees outside forests areas as compared to ISFR 2013. The State-wise details are not available.

(e) Afforestation Programme is taken up under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes such as National Afforestation Programme (NAP), Green India Mission (GIM), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) which from 2015-16 has been amalgamated as the Watershed Development Component of the “Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY)”. National Bamboo Mission (NBM) and under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), different State Plan/ Non- Plan Schemes including Externally Aided Projects.

National Afforestation Programme (NAP) of the Ministry of Environment & Forests is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for afforestation and tree plantation and eco-restoration of degraded forests and adjoining areas in the country. The scheme is being implemented through a decentralized mechanism of State Forest Development Agency (SFDA) at State level, Forest Development Agency (FDA) at Forest Division level and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at village level. An amount of Rs. 3614.13 crore has been released to the States to treat an area of around about 21.35 million hectare, since inception of the Scheme in 2000-02.


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